In this period, the Suez Canal was regarded as the navigational and trade route that connects two continents, Asia and Europe. It is an artificial (human-made) waterway system that cuts through the territories of Egypt and serves as the link between two seas - the Mediterranean Sea, from Port Said beside the Al Qabuti territory of Egypt adjacent to Port Fouad in Sinai (another Egyptian territory that was occupied by Israel from 1956 to 1982), and the Red Sea, from its city of Suez on the Gulf of Suez - as the starting point for delivering big shipments from international steam and commercial ships and mid-sized shipments from local ships.